Rotary shoe brushing and polishing apparatus



July 12, 1960 J. BULLARD 2,944,278

ROTARY suos BRUSHING AND POLISHING APPARATUS Filed July 25. 1959 F/Q/ I y 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVEN TOR. r/ACK 1. 5041420 BY ATTOZ/VEY y 1960 J. BULLARD 2,944,278

ROTARY SHOE BRUSHING AND POLISHING APPARATUS Filed July 23, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ha. Z

I I I I I/IIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IN VEN TOR. 1 CK 1.5044420 United States 1 This invention relates tea shoecleaning apparatusand has for an object to provide an improved apparatus for cleaningslioes; and intended for use Beth While the shoes are being worn-by aperson and when'the shoes are held manually. v A' further object of this invention is'to provide a shoe cleaning apparatus which will brush the tops and sides of a shoe simultaneously and whichhasmeans "for directing air toward and about the brush means so as to remove the dust and debris that is brushed off the shoes, and furthern'iore, wherein means is'provided for heatihg the air to a desired degree, particularly when the teniper ature of the atmosphere is rather cold, so as to sufliciently heat the surface of the shoe and the polish that is already on the shoe or has just been placed there, to a degree so that it will take a good shine as a result of the brushing by the brush means of this invention.

A further object of this invention is to provide a shoe apparatus that is mounted on a base having a drawer wherein shoe polish and polish application means for shoes may be conveniently provided so that polish may be added to the shoes just before they are cleaned and shined by the shoe apparatus of this invention.

In brief, this invention includes a base in which a drawer is located, acting as a support for bearing supports and for all the remaining apparatus of this invention, including a hollow shaft mounted on the bearing supports with a fan and heating means at one end thereof and an electric motor mounted on the base at the other end thereof for directing air from the fan heating end into the hollow shaft, with the hollow shaft being perforated and with a cylindrical and flanking brushes mounted on the shaft which are perforated so that the air through the shaft will be directed through the brushes.

In addition, a fan and air heating means is mounted above the rotary brush on the bearing support means and directs air about the cylindrical brush between the flanking disc brushes toward the shoe rest on which the shoe is supported while being polished.

With the above and related objects in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts, as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is partly an elevational and partly sectional view of the shoe cleaning apparatus of this invention.

Figs. 2 to 7 inclusive are sectional views on lines 2--2; 33 to 77 inclusive of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a schematic View of the electrical circuit for simultaneously controlling the shoes and shoe heating elements.

There is shown at 10 the shoe cleaning apparatus of this invention. The shoe cleaning apparatus 10 includes a base 12 in which is located a drawer 14 operated by handle 16 particularly intended for containing shoe polish and shoe polish application means.

Secured on the base '12 in any suitable manner as by bolts 18, is a support means 20 such as a housing open Patented July 12, .1960

22 in which is .journaled a hollow shaft .24, the hollow shaft 24 being suitably perforated as at 16 and '28, and provided-at one end with a pulley 30 over which passes a'power belt 32 from a shaft34 on a motor 36 supported onbase'lz.

The other endiof the hollow shaft 24 is providedwith an -enlarge'd :mouth 38 adjacent the end of which. are providedaplural-ity of fan blades 40 so as to draw' air from the atmosphere and force it through enlarged mouth 38 into the hollow shaft 24. Due to the enlargement of the month over the diameter of theshaft, a substantial amount ofair wil'l be directed by the fan blades into the" hollow perforated shaft 214.

A filter 42 is suitably provided at the extreme outer end of the mouth 38, and a heating element 44 is located within "the mouth 38 between the fan blades 40 and the hollow shaft'24 so as to controllably'heat the air, when desired, passing from the fan blades to the hollow shaft.

'Mo 'unted on the central portion of the hollow shaft 24 within the support means 20' is a cylindrical brush 46 which has apertures 47 aligned with the perforations 26 in hollow shaft 24, and a pair of disc brushes 48 having apettures49 facing inward-1y toward each other are located flanking the longitudinal ends of the cyclindrical brush 46, there-being perforations 28 on the shaft for directing air behind the bristles of the brush 48 and a brush plate 50 which causes the air pressure building up therewithin to pass through the apertures 49 and the brush bristles to the space surrounding the cylindrical brush 46 between the disc brushes 48.

Mounted on the top of the support means 20 is a motor 52 operating a fan 54 for directing air through a second heating means 56 about the cylindrical brush 46 and between the disc brushes 48 in the direction of a shoe rest 57 mounted on the base 12.

A control switch 60 is mounted in a circuit 62 to the meters 36 and 5'2, and is connected also by a switch 64 to a parallel circuit 66 so that the heating elements 44 and 56 may be left in the circuit controlled by the switch 60 or cut out of the circuit by means of the switch 64, as desired.

It is intended that the heating elements should heat the air directed therethrough to about Fahrenheit, hence, when the atmospheric temperature is around or above the desired temperature, the switch 64 will be operated to interrupt the circuit 66 to the heating elements but still leave the motors circuit 62 controllable by the switch 60.

The person wishing to polish the shoes or shine and brush the shoes will first add polish to the shoes if necessary from the supply that may be stored \m'thin the drawer 14. Then, he places one shoe at a time on the shoe rest 57 and actuates the switch 60 to cause rotation of the brushes, either with or without the heating circuits in operation, depending on the temperature, so as to produce a good shine on his shoes and by proper manipulation, he can expose all of the surfaces of the shoes to one or the other of the brushing means provided, the air from the two sources of air keeping the brushes clean and likewise, keeping the shoe clean as it blows the dust away therefrom.

Although this invention has been described in considerable detail, such description is intended as being illustrative rather than limiting, since the invention may be variously embodied, and the scope of the invention is to be determined as claimed.

Having thus set forth and disclo'sed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A shoe cleaning apparatus comprising a rotary brush means consisting of a cylindrical brush flanked by a disc brush at each longitudinal end thereof, said two dist brushes and said cylindrical brushes being mounted for rotation on a common hollow shaft with the disc brushes being opposed and having their bristles extending inwardly, a base, bearing means for said hollow shaft, and support means for said bearing means mounted on said base, means for rotating said hollow shaft, said base providing a shoe rest beneath said rotary cylindrical brush and between said flanking disc brushes for supporting a shoe in operative co'ntactwith said cylindrical brush and said flanking disc brushes, said hollow shaft being perforated within said brush means, aperture means in said cylindrical brush means communicating with the perforations in said hollow shaft for directing air through said brush means from within said hollow shaft, and means 'for directing air about said cylindrical brush and between said disc brushes toward said shoe rest.

2. The shoe cleaning apparatus of claim 1, and means for heating the air directed through and about said brush means. v 3. The shoe cleaning apparatus of claim 1, and a drawer in said apparatus base beneath said shoe rest.

4. A shoe cleaning apparatus comprising a 'rotary brush means consisting of a cylindrical brush flanked by a disc brush at each longitudinal end thereof, said two disc brushes andsaid cylindrical brushes being mo'unted for rotation on a common hollow shaft with, the disc brushes being opposed and having their bristles extending inwardly, a base, bearing means for said hollow shaft, and support means for said bearing means mounted on said base, means for rotating said hollow shaft, said base providing a shoe rest beneath said rotary cylindrical brush and between said flanking disc brushes for supporting a shoe in operative contact with said cylindrical brush and said flanking disc brushes, said hollow shaft being perforated within said brush means, aperture means in said cylindrical brush means communicating with the perforations in said hollow shaft for directing air through said brush means from within said hollow shaft, air directing means comprising an enlarged mouth mounted on the-end of said hollow shaft, and fan blades mounted in said mouth directing air therethrough into said hollo'w shaft.

5. The shoe cleaning apparatus of claim 4, and an air heating element mounted in said mouth intermediate said fan blades and said hollow shaft.

6. The shoe cleaning apparatus of claim 4, a fan and fan motor mounted on said bearing means for directing air about said cylindrical brush and between said flanking disc brushes toward said sho'e rest, and air heating means between said fan and said brush means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 869,435 Humphreville Oct. 29, 1907 1,219,148 Pootmans Mar. 13, 1917 1,741,722 Kremmling Dec. 31, 1929 2,779,856 Fahner Jan. 29, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 691,975 Great Britain May 27, 1953 1,003,144 France Nov. 14, 1951 

